


Pink's Reward

by Enlightened_Introvert



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Based on several theories/headcanons I have, Hurt No Comfort, Only hurt, Past Relationship(s), Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 01:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21263018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enlightened_Introvert/pseuds/Enlightened_Introvert
Summary: Pink Diamond is summoned to before the other Diamonds.





	Pink's Reward

The Diamond chime echoed again through the high-ceilinged chamber and into the secret room, shattering the silence. Blue and Yellow.

Pink buried her face deeper into her folded arms, resolved to once again ignore the call. Feelings she could neither bear nor describe stirred with the noise, and at that moment the last thing she wanted was to face her fellow Diamonds, forced to explain why she still wore such a miserable expression. How long had she locked herself in this room? She couldn’t remember. Even when she managed to drag herself from its confines, she was stuck in this space, in that moment, gazing into those deeply troubled, yet trusting, eyes…

Many tiny hands pushed on her forearms, attempting to rouse her. “The door, Pink! The door!” tiny voices chanted, tiny gems clambering for attention, climbing over her shoulders and burrowing in her hair. Tamping down her immediate frustration, her wish to be alone with her sorrows, she could not be angry at her tiny helpers.

“The door, Pink! The door!”

She forced a chuckle, gently brushing the Pebbles away. “Yes, yes, thank you,” she replied. Her voice sounded strange, as if it belonged to someone else.

The Diamond chime sounded again, Blue and Yellow in unison. With a sigh, Pink hauled herself from the vanity, fighting against the heaviness that threatened to force her back into her seat. The Pebbles swarmed the space she had just occupied, excited to see their Diamond’s face once more. Pink also spared a moment for that profoundly unhappy face which gazed back at her in the mirror, but only a moment. She couldn’t stand the look of it.

“Pink! Pink! Our Diamond!” The Pebbles danced about in their silly way, chanting her name.

Pink sighed, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as a bit of the weight lifted from her shoulders.

The weight returned the moment the door to the secret room slid shut behind her, cutting off the Pebbles earnest farewells. Mustering up what was left of her strength, she trudged toward the door. When she finally responded, she found Blue and Yellow’s Pearls, hands poised above the terminal, prepared to ring a third time. Quickly, they sprang into matching salutes, their impersonal formality making her wish she had stayed in her room.

“Pink Diamond,” Yellow’s Pearl announced with a flourish, “our Diamonds request your presence in the grand ballroom.”

What could they possibly want now? Apprehension pricked through her at the thought of their disappointed, scrutinizing glares, Yellow’s criticisms, Blue’s despair. They were never satisfied with her when she was happy and unruly, and they were still unsatisfied when she spent her days brooding in her room. She loved them, she wanted to please them, but right now…was it really too much to ask to be left alone? Was she not allowed to be sad? Frustration began to gather like storm clouds as she stood there, regarding the Pearls, the very images of servitude, extensions of authority, calling cards for judgement.

“And if I refuse?” Pink couldn’t stop herself from asking, arms crossed in stubborn defiance.

The Pearls visibly cringed at her tone, breaking their formal posture. “W-w-well…” Yellow Pearl faltered nervously. “You see, we—"

“Nevermind,” Pink interrupted with a pang of guilt, ending the conversation as she paced ahead of them.

After a moment’s hesitation, she could feel them following silently behind her, their soft, quick footsteps imperceptible even against the tiled floors of the echoing corridor. They were experts at being invisible, fading into the background and only reappearing when needed, attentive, smiling, worshipping, “yes, my Diamond,” “as you wish, my Diamond.” Pink’s emotions roiled and thundered. She stepped heavily, deliberately, just to fill the silence with her frustration. She knew she was being immature, stomping down the corridor with these poor Pearls in tow, but at that moment, she did not care.

-

** _“This doesn’t feel right…”_ **

** _“It’s going to be alright. I promise.”_ **

** _“But, how do you know?”_ **

** _“What’s the worst that can happen? We’ll never know unless we try.”_ **

** _“I’m scared.”_ **

** _“Pearl, do you trust me?”_ **

** _“I do, Pink. I do.”_ **

-

“Pink Diamond?”

Blue Pearl’s soft voice broke through Pink’s thoughts, bringing her back to the present. A few gems milled about in the cavernous foyer, casting sidelong glances at the wayward Diamond before them. The gems in service of the palace were very familiar with her moods, however, and were careful to give her space, but it was unnecessary. She didn’t have the energy to be angry. Instead, a penetrating dread began to stamp out any and everything else, just as an electric chill filled the air. White was there.

“Pink Diamond, are you well?” Blue Pearl persisted, a note of genuine concern in her voice, familiar as she was with her own Diamond’s moods.

Pink nodded wordlessly.

The ballroom was dark and quiet as they approached, and with each step she grew more apprehensive, the cold permeating through her, dousing her with a profound calm that was not her own. White Diamond was there, without a shadow of a doubt, and for the first time since…the incident…Pink felt real fear, a fear that rebelled against the invading calm.

The Pearls entered in front of her, needlessly announcing her presence to the Diamonds seated within, before retreating back into the hall. Without looking at their faces, Pink could already sense Yellow’s displeasure and Blue’s dismay at the sight of her unhappy face, which only frowned deeper at their impending criticism. White was nowhere to be seen, but the weight of her presence wore at her mood even further. Was it too late to go back to her room?

No. Raising her chin defiantly, Pink resolved to look more confident than she felt, settling on anger amid her sea of emotions.

“So, you’ve decided to join us.” Yellow remarked tersely, eyes narrowing, arms crossed. “Have you finally grown tired of moping in your tower?”

“Yellow,” Blue urged, ever the mediator between them in their stubbornness. “Be gentle.”

Pink knew better than to take comfort in Blue’s advocacy, that her soft spot was only so large, and her tolerance for the littlest Diamond only went so far. Sure enough, that tense, mournful gaze was directed at her, filled with reproach. “Pink, please, this behavior has gone on long enough. Don’t you see how frustrating this is for the rest of us? We’ve given you your space. The least you could do is cooperate when we ask you to.” Then, almost pleading. “Please, be happy. Be our precious, smiling little Pink again.”

Guilt. She began to shrink before them, anger already waning. The chill deepened as a grayish glow emanated from the shadowy depths of the ballroom.

“This is not a punishment, Starlight.”

That silky voice seemed to come from every direction in the vast space, as dramatic and eerie as its owner. Doubt. Humility. Calm. Uncomfortably calm. She responded to Pink’s fear, but it did nothing to put her at ease.

White stepped forward, flooding the space with her ethereal glow, before seating herself between the two. “Now, now, Yellow, Blue…we must give Pink credit where credit is due. She has behaved herself marvelously, hardly partaking of that incorrect behavior she is so attracted to.” Her permanent smile grew a fraction. “Thus, she must be rewarded.”

Confusion. Hope. A blind, unlikely hope gripped her so violently she began to tremble. “Rewarded?” Pink repeated, feeling weak.

She was no longer looking at Yellow and Blue; White now had her full attention, despite Pink’s secret apprehension toward her superior. Her smile, her eyes, equal measures of reassurance and threat resided in her expression. Pink wanted to distrust her, to hold onto her anger and frustration, and yet…

With an airy gesture, White directed Pink’s attention to the space beside the thrones, from which a lone figure glided stiffly toward her. It took her a moment to process just what she was looking at, but when she did, all other emotions were driven out of her, replaced only by shock, alongside the spreading calm. It was Pearl, her own Pearl, drained of color, smiling blankly, the cracks marring the entire left side of her face the only obvious indication of who she once was. Try as she might, Pink could not think beyond this observation.

She stopped beside White Diamond’s throne without a hint of recognition or emotion, a glittering, white bubble resting on her outstretched palms. Inside, a small, oval gem floated gently.

“Come closer, Starlight.”

Drawn by the magnetic force of White’s presence, Pink complied, too dazed to comprehend the situation. All that mattered was White’s approval, Blue and Yellow’s hesitant smiles, and Pearl, so close. Just a few steps more, and she could touch her, pull her into an embrace, carry her away and hide her somewhere safe…

She stopped in the middle of the ballroom and could come no closer.

“I have decided that you are ready to receive a new Pearl,” White declared, her words falling like heavy stones before her.

Even as Pink struggled to process the situation, a sickening dread began to settle in the pit of her stomach. “But, but what about—you…she…” She looked helplessly at the damaged gem at White’s feet, frantic tears beginning anew. “A _new_ Pearl?”

The smile twitched. Pink did not see Yellow and Blue’s matching expressions of barely contained horror as they, too, witnessed the change, but Pink knew better in this regard. After all, she had always shared a unique bond with White—that, she was assured of in that moment—and she knew in that moment that is wasn’t anger she stirred, but sympathy. White leaned forward, brushing a stray tear from Pink’s cheek with the tip of her finger, her massive claws seeming to curl protectively around her tiny form, and she knew in that moment that she had lost this battle.

“No more tears, Pink. Not a single tear.” White stated gently, more gently than Pink had ever known her to speak as she curled a finger under her chin, tilting her face upward. “You _must_ move on. I am giving you a second chance with a new Pearl and you _must_ accept it, do you understand?”

“Yes,” Pink managed to force from her mouth, holding back the flood.

“You will do your best not to break this one, will you not?”

“I will.”

“And if you begin to notice any incorrect behavior, you will correct it immediately. Is that clear?”

“It is.”

White seemed satisfied. Despite everything, Pink could not help but find comfort in White’s tender touch, Blue and Yellow’s relieved smiles appearing on either side of her. All smiles for Pink and Pink alone, all smiles _because_ of her. That was all she ever wanted; she was so starved for their love that she would accept it under any circumstance. Pink offered them a smile of her own, putting everyone else at ease. It pained her when White finally drew away.

Reaching toward the bubbled gem, she popped its prison with a razor-sharp talon. For a moment, it laid dormant in Pearl’s hand—Pink tried not to think about her, not until she was well out of the Diamonds’ sights—before coming to life in a flurry of light, floating upward before her.

“You can make a Pearl exactly like your old one,” Blue reminded her encouragingly, “one you can be more careful with.”

“But, perhaps, use a little more discretion for her personality,” Yellow interjected. “Make one that is more obedient.”

“You know what to do, Starlight,” White urged.

The gem drifted toward Pink in a white glow, a pale blue, shell-shaped light encasing it as it came to a stop, mere feet from her face. Steeling herself, she resolved to put on a show that would satisfy the others, despite the heaviness in her heart as she fought the urge to bound forward and steal Pearl away. No, she promised, she promised.

“Please, identify yourself.” The gem spoke in a placid voice.

Pink took a deep breath. “Pink Diamond.”

This wasn’t what she wanted, and that fact hurt more than anything.

“Greetings, Pink Diamond. Please state preferred customization options.”

It seemed as if everything had gone still, waiting to see what she would do. Even the Pearls peeked in from their posts, everyone eager, everyone anxious to have their happy little Pink again. Everyone anxious to fall back into a sense of normalcy. She could feel the pressure of her position even if she did not fully grasp how important her role had become to the other Diamonds, and that pressure made her apprehensive. No, this wasn’t what she wanted.

Pink looked up at her poor, broken treasure, her one true friend, one she was never allowed to have again…and then she looked away.

“Please state preferred customization options.” The gem repeated in that same, placid tone.

“I don’t care,” Pink replied in one last show of defiance, careful to maintain a neutral tone. “I don’t have a preference.”

Undeterred, the gem responded. “Default settings selected. Please stand by.”

The holographic shell floated gently to the ground, releasing the gem as her physical form took shape. Pink had never seen a default Pearl before—most gems took advantage of the customization as a novelty—but she was surprised to see her adorned in a rainbow of colors, her gem residing on her forehead, so small, so fragile. Her expression was earnest as she bowed before Pink, who wrestled with guilt. She didn’t want her. She _didn’t_ want this.

“How do you do, my Diamond?” She greeted emphatically with a flourish of her hand. “Thank you for bringing me into the world.” She bowed deeply, a joyous smile on her face. “I am at your eternal and most esteemed service, whatever you may desire.”

She reached for her hand, but Pink quickly withdrew, eager to get away before her emotions could betray her. “Thank you, White. I will be more careful with her.”

Her smile never wavered, but her eyes narrowed in a way that said she wasn’t fully convinced. “Of course, Starlight, of course. Now,” she waved her away, “run along, however, I do _sincerely_ hope to see more of you from now on. No more sulking, and no more insubordination. You get one more chance.”

Pink nodded once, backing away another step as her new Pearl approached again. Whether it was repulsion or fear, she wasn’t sure, but she was not prepared to open her heart to this stranger, this impostor, this poor gem she didn’t ask for.

“Thank you,” Pink repeated, turning on her heel and quickly pacing out of the room. As an afterthought, she called over her shoulder, “come, Pearl.” A small part of her hoped that this Pearl had enough sense to wander away while her back was turned. In that unlikely scenario, at least, she could drown out her guilt in solitude. Of course, her new Pearl followed just as she was programmed to do, as obedient as any other Pearl, a couple steps behind and beside her Diamond.

In Pink’s haste to retreat, however—driven by her own selfish feelings—she failed to notice the look of confusion and fear that passed across the gem’s face, only a moment into the world and already acquainted with the feeling of abandonment.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be honest, I wrote this on several different bad days over the course of a month and just decided to finish it today, so if this came across as oddly emotional, that's because it is. I projected A LOT while writing this.


End file.
